New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-07
PRICE THREE CENTS.
MANY FAMILIES POISONED.
SERIOUS EFFECTS OF FOURTH OF JULY
ICE-CKEAM

ocnAOUo EErECIS OF FOURTH OF JULY
ICE-CREAM.
EIGHTY PEOPLE MORE OR LESS Av1Kcrrp-wHAT
DR. EDISON sAYs-rHE MAKER or THE
sTUYy CAREFUL, TRUSTWORTHY
MAN-DANGER or LErTIN0 THE
cUsTARD STAND LONG.
Among the incidents and accidents pertaining to
the celebration Of the Fourth are to be included
the poisoning Of about eighty people from eating
ice-cream. This ice cream was ell obtained from
confeotioner In Sixth-ave.. who has been doing
quiet family trade for 6fteen years. and most of the
sufferers were among his oldest customers On the
Fourth Of July tlis confeotioner filled about 100
orders, ono Of which was the family OF James Fitz-
gerald, Of No. 81 Bsnk-st Mr.. Ftzgerald's four
children and two servant girls we're eli taken sick
after eating the cream. and the gentleman went TO
the shop on Tuesday and made . complains, and
then took sample of the cream to DR.. Edison for
analysis. Other complaints came in, and the pro-
prietor feeling thoroughly innocent in the matter
also sent some OF the cream TO DR.. Ed
son for analysis and made inquiries among his
customers to find out how many had suffered from
eating II. He showed The TRIBUNE reporter his
order book last evening, in which the following
twenty families, ont of the 100 orders filled on tho
Fourth, were ticked of as having made complaint:
Mr. Wagner. five In family, No. "a Bank-st; Mr..
Fitzgerald, five, No. 81 Bsnk-st Mr. Taylor. four,
No 2 Van Dam-st.; Dr.. Mcintyre, three. No. 221
West Fourth-stj Mr.. Hedden, fve No. 2l9 West
Fourth-st.; Mr.. Maxwell. eight. No. 40 Bank-st;
Mr.. Kinner. five. No. 40 Van Dam-st; Mr. Hanna,
Hve. No. 574 Broome-stt Mr.. Ahrens. FIVE. No. $50
Broome-st.; Mr.. Thompson. No. 80 Clinton place:
Mr.. Gardner, No. 40 Van Dam-st; Mr.. Wheeler. No.
80 Leroy-st.; Mr.. Davis. No. So MoDougal-st;
Mr.. Houseley, No. Al McDougal-st; Mr.. vignaud.
No. 13 South Fifth-ave. Mr.. Thompson, No. 1913
West Tenth-st. Mr.. Putnam, No. 551 Broome.
st. Mr.. Buckingham. No. "a Kipg-st Mr.. Ban
croft, No. "a Charlton-st; Mr.. Hill. No. SO Perry
ct.
Two Of Mr. Fitzgeralds children are seriously III,
and In every case medical attendance called in.
None Of Mr.. Houscley's three children were affect
ed. although tho parents were. and Mr.. Tay.
lors ten n-year-old daughter eat heartily Of
the cream without any bad results. 1t seems.
indeed. as though the grown up people suffered
more than the little ones. The doctors who were
called in treated tho patient in cases of acute
poisoning. But DR.. Mcintyre judging from his own
symptoms, had theory that the trouble was mn-
eral poisoning, ana that the poison was arsenic.
This would produce chronic aud not acute poison
ing
When DR.. Edison was asked his opinion upon this
point he said 81 hate to say anything about 10
before the Board Of Health makes its report. Tho
matter Is now in It's hands. and don't know how
ithas leaked out. However the man Fitzgerald
and also tho proprietor of the ice-cream place
drew my attention 10 the cream, and ono
of my assistants 10 now making careful analysis
body tampercd with the cream. and Inspector
Byrnes is investigating it from that point OF view.
But this kind Of poisoning Is the commonest thing
In the world throughout the country on and about
the Fourth of July. 1t s undoubtedly case OF
tyrotoxicon, Q form Of milk poisoning discovered
by Professor Vaughan, OF the University OF Mlchi.
very poisonous substance that develops during
the decomposition Of organic matter Milk IS
very apt 70 deyelop such things usn and nacrya ~
in this way For the Fourth manufacturers make
up large quantity of cream to meet the demand
for that day. and aqw u to ior m
\ highly dangerous thing to let ice-cream custard
stand The danger is that slight decomposition
may, esnsue aud this poisonous matter be devel-
-, rs thss the explanation Of the present case
livery probably, but 1t Is premature to say any
thing about it until after the analysis and report
of the Board of Health My opinion Is that there
was no criminal intent on the part or
analysis will show all that. In investigating some
cases that occurred here two years ago some curious
modes of manufacturing Ice cream were discovered @
which would tend to increase the danger from
poisoning, For instance the manufacturers were
found to be using gelatine freely. and In many
cases, to make the expense as low as possible,
very inferior gelatne, but little better than glue.
In one case glue had been used which had been
whitened by oxide Of zinc, aud in that case the
poisoning might have been due 10 that a..
1.-The danger of using gelatine Is that Win q Mt-
tie water and heat 1t very RAPIDLY decomposes' no
use of gelatIne enables the manufacturer 10 dis
pense with the use of so much cream. La this case
tbsy did not use gelatine at all. went through the
place carefully and examined the methods ana tne
materials used Then IN regard to the aySrlng there
often turks danger fhey USED nGtnlns oa Ig cboc- o
olate There used to be good deal OF adultera-
ton In chocolate. but we have put an END 70
That. Manufacturers who have such an expensive
plant dare pot run the risk Of being exposed IN o
nefarious business. One ] exposed some time ago
for using Venetian red had plant which coso
Shronio and not the acute form Of poisoning
there was nothing In the coloring to account iof
any of the symptoms In the present case nnihs ths
stood twenty-four hours before being frozen.
Everything about the place where 1t was made Is
The proprietor of the place in question willingly
gave every information. and made severai suggcs-
tons tho cause OF the e III ees's he ci said or ihs
strawberry fayOring. but he could not tell how.
because he had made II In the same way Tor years
aud years aud never had complaint before. ~
must be that some body had tampered with It, he
said. From his statement it appears that no can
make batch Of forty quarts at time. On satnr,
sold by the Sunday delivery. Then on Sunday
evening he made sixteen patches, and out OF tnes9
latter there were about four patches which had
given rise TO complaints They filled l22 orders
Monday averaging about four 9uast' eIGn Ike
that. and always tho fruit itself for iiavorlas.
When batch was made was LETT s to cop ID ,ns ,s
cream was added aud 1t was frozen.
DR. Edsons opinion being explained 20 MN .i,e he
said that he could not sec how the crstard could
be affected when il was on the ice all the Time.
Some OF that prepared on Saturday might have
been sent out oH Monday, but he did not think 50
and he did not seem to be able to accept Dr. Ed
sons ex explanation. There was mystery about II.
and he hoped to have that mystery cleared up III
Other manufacturers Of ice cream to whom Dr.
Edson's opinion was mentioned sad that the danger
of letting the material stand for time was now
pretty generally known and it was only IN case OF
great rush thst manufacturers o;sessng no greas
facilities cared to run the risk OF allowing the ma
terial to stand more than a few hours.
Few of the people mentioned are dangerouny
sick aud most Of them speedily recovered undeR
fhe nsuaI remedies for acute poisoning